Block terminal



June 8, 1965 F. T. MOGESTAD ETAL 3,

BLOCK TERMINAL Filed Jan. 16, 1963 FIG. 4

INVENTORS FOL/(E TEODOR MOGESTAD RUA/E lV/LS ANDERS THY-SK A T 'raRuE Y:

United States Patent 3,188,694 BLOK TERMWAL Foiire Teodor Mogestad, Hagersten, and Rune Niis Anders Thysir, Alvsio, Sweden, assignors to Teiefonahtieholaget L M Ericsson, Stockholm, Sweden, a corporation of Sweden Filed Jan. 16, 1963, Ser. No. 251,851

Claims priority, application Sweden, Feb. 14, 1962,

3 Qlaims. (Cl. 339-198) The present invention refers to a block terminal that comprises a plurality of elongated, electric contact elements, arranged in parallel along an insulating frame. These elements are fastened at a part of their length to the frame and are formed at one end as for instance soldering tabs for connection of wires. Block terminals of this kind are commonly used to facilitate the connection of wires to contact wires in selectors or relays. The purpose of the invention is to provide a block terminal which requires little room, is simple in manufacture and mounting and grips the connection wires with a safe grip that can be easily released. This is obtained according to the invention by placing the contact elements between the fastened parts of the contact elements andthe soldering tabs free in a plane which is in parallel with the plane of the frame, so that a space is formed between the frame and the contact elements, in which space insulated parts of the connection wires are arranged to be placed, Whereby they are suitably led substantially perpendicularly to the length of the contact elements.

The invention will be further described with a reference to the attached drawings. FIGS. 1 and 2 show the block seen from below and from the side respectively. FIG. 3 illustrates the frame of the block and contact elements in bent state. FIGS. 4 and- 5 show in side-view and perspective, respectively, the frame and the contact elements bent away from each other.

The shown block consists of an insulating frame 15, 16. To its back part 16 five elongated, parallel contact elements 11 are fastened at their back ends 18. Ends 18 are for instance in a known way formed for direct connection to contact wires in a selector or a relay. The stripped front ends of the contact elements 11 are formed as channeled soldering tabs 12 for connection of five wires 13, 14. The soldering tabs 12 are inserted in recesses or pockets 17 formed on the frame, so that they lie locked in place. Between the soldering tabs and the fastened part the contact elements 11 lie free in a plane at a little distance from the insulating frame 15. Between the contact elements and the frame is thus formed a space in which insulated parts of the connection wires 13 are accommodated. In order to facilitate the mounting of these wires the parts of the frame 15 and the contact elements 11 that lie nearest to said space are bendable. If these parts as shown in FIG. 3 are bent towards the frame, the contact elements 11 due to their larger bend radius will be withdrawn from the pockets 17 and become clear of a nose or wall 21 in the pockets, so that the frame and the contact elements can be bent away from each other as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. In this position the insulated connection wires 13 can be laid in their place between the frame and the contact elements whereby they are insulated substantially perpendicularly to the length of the contact devices, and the connection of the front stripped part 14 of the connection wires to the soldering tabs 12 can be effected without any difficulty.

When thereafter the contact devices and the frame over the position in FIG. 3 are restored to plane position according to FIG. 2, the soldering tabs are inserted in their pockets 17. The connection wires are now entirely enclosed by contact elements and frame and locked in their places. This locking can be released by bending according to FIG. 3.

We claim:

1. An electric connector for releasably connecting two sets of conductors, said connector comprising a substantially plate-shaped insulation body having in one of its face sides a substantially straight row of pockets and including a flexible portion of reduced gauge between said row and the remaining full-gauge portion of the body, said flexible portion extending across the length of said row, a set of substantially straight contact elements secured at one end to the full-gauge portion of the body on said one face side, said secured ends of the contact elements constituting first terminals for one of said sets of conductors, each of said elements protruding from the full-gauge body portion parallel to saidflexible body portion and spaced apart therefrom and terminating in a second terminal, each of said secondterminals being engaged with the respective pocket when said contact elements and said flexible body portion are parallel to each other and being disengaged from the respective pocket when said contact elements and said flexible body portion are bent apart in reference to each other, whereby upon bending of the flexible body portion into a position in which said second terminals are disengaged from said pockets, space is made available for attaching conductors of said second set to said second terminals, and upon restoring of the flexible body portion to its position parallel to said contact elements, said conductors of the second set are retained in the respective pockets by the re-engaged second terminals.

2. An electric connector according to claim 1, wherein said pockets have a substantially rectangular outline and said second terminals are channel-shaped, the open sides of the channels facing the open sides of the pockets and fitting the same.

3. An electric connector according to claim 1, wherein said contact elements are flexible, and a cross-wall portion of said insulation body extending across each of said pockets locks the respective second terminal therein in the positions of the contact elements and the flexible body portion of reduced gauge parallel in reference to each other, joint bending of the contact elements and the flexible body portion in a direction in which the bent contact elements define the greater radius freeing the contact elements from said cross wall portion.

FOREIGN PATENTS 12/55 Italy.

JOSEPH D. SEERS, Primary Examiner. 

1. AN ELECTRIC CONNECTOR FOR RELEASABLY CONNECTING TWO SETS OF CONDUCTORS, SAID CONNECTOR COMPRISING A SUBSTANTIALLY PLATE-SHAPED INSULATION BODY HAVING IN ONE OF ITS FACE SIDES A SUBSTANTIALLY STRAIGHT ROW OF POCKETS AND INCLUDING A FLEXIBLE PORTION OF REDUCED GAUGE BETWEEN SAID ROW AND THE REMAINING FULL-GAUGE PORTION OF THE BODY, SAID FLEXIBLE PORTION EXTENDING ACROSS THE LENGTH OF SAID ROW, SET OF SUBSTANTIALLY STRAIGHT CONTACT ELEMENTS SECURED AT ONE END TO THE FULL-GAUGE PORTION OF THE BODY ON SAID ONE FACE SIDE, SAID SECURED ENDS OF THE CONTACT ELEMENTS CONSTITUTING FIRST TERMINALS FOR ONE OF SAID SETS OF CONDUCTORS, EACH OF SAID ELEMENTS PROTRUDING FROM THE FULL-GAUGE BODY PORTION PARALLEL TO SAID FLEXIBLE BODY PORTION AND SPACED APART THEREFROM AND TERMINATING IN A SECOND TERMINAL, EACH OF SAID SECOND TERMINALS BEING ENGAGED WITH THE RESPECTIVE POCKET WHEN SAID CONTACT ELEMENTS AND SAID FLEXIBLE BODY PORTION ARE PARALLEL TO EACH OTHER AND BEING DISENGAGED FROM THE RESPECTIVE POCKET WHEN SAID CONTACT ELEMENTS AND SAID FLEXIBLE BODY PORTION ARE BENT APART IN REFERENCE TO EACH OTHER, WHEREBY UPON BENDING OF THE FLEXIBLE BODY PORTION INTO A POSITION IN WHICH SAID SECOND TERMINALS ARE DISENGAGED FROM SAID POCKETS, SPACE IS MADE AVAILABLE FOR ATTACHING CONDUCTORS OF SAID SECOND SET TO SAID SECOND TERMINALS, AND UPON RESTORING OF THE FLEXIBLE BODY PORTION TO ITS POSITION PARALLEL TO SAID CONTACT ELEMENTS, SAID CONDUCTORS OF THE SECOND SET ARE RETAINED IN THE RESPECTIVE POCKETS BY THE RE-ENGAGED SECOND TERMINALS. 